Copyright Case

Nullsoft Inc., maker of the MP3 music player Winamp, has agreed to stop distributing copies of a music-decoding program. The Sedona, Ariz., company is the defendant in a $20-million copyright infringement suit filed by PlayMedia Systems Inc. of Los Angeles. PlayMedia claims that Nullsoft founder Justin Frankel did not pay to use software code PlayMedia developed. On Friday, a federal judge in Los Angeles granted a preliminary injunction that bars Nullsoft from distributing Nitrane, a program music fans can use to decode MP3 music files so they can download songs off the Internet. PlayMedia is seeking a permanent injunction in addition to financial penalties.